Man who admitted to raping girl, 15, wants to retract guilty plea

Rape accused seeks to retract guilty plea

A 21-year-old man who pleaded guilty a month ago to raping a 15-year-old student while she was drunk following a game of truth or dare yesterday indicated that he wanted to retract his plea.

His lawyer, Mr Marcus Tai, also sought to discharge himself from acting for the man, saying he had not been paid.

The accused, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, submitted a letter stating his reasons for wanting to retract his earlier plea.

While the contents of the letter were not disclosed in open court, Deputy Public Prosecutor Winston Man argued that the reasons given did not amount to a legal defence.

There were also no valid grounds for a retraction, he added.

He said that when the accused pleaded guilty, he was legally represented, had repeatedly been told of the consequences of a guilty plea and that his only request was to adjourn the case as his grandmother was ill.